Wedding Bells
by Yee111213
Summary: My first HP fanfic! Anyway Harry and Ginny delivering their wedding invitations to pretty much everyone and their reactions to the invitation...enjoy! Originally a one-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Silly little oneshot about McGonagall and Harry's relationship, as I feel the books should have gone more in depth. **

Harry and Ginny had personally gone to deliver all wedding invitations, just because they had wanted to see all their friends and old teachers after having not seen them for about three years.

Harry let out a little groan as he saw the next name on the list.

Minerva McGonagall

"Hey, Gin?" he asked tentatively. She turned to face him as they strided briskly down the Hogsmeade streets.

"Do we—do we have to go to the next person?" he muttered, pointing at the list with his wand.

Ginny took one look at the name and guffawed, wiping tears from her eyes.

"What?" Harry asked, rather offended.

"She's not your professor anymore, Harry. Just think of her like, oh, I don't know, your grandma or something," Ginny giggled.

"My _grandma_?" Harry practically shrieked. "Professor McGonagall as my _grandma_?! She's more likely to be my executioner!"

Ginny sobered up and glared at him. "Listen, Potter, I'm you're engaged to me, which means you're stuck with me, and I want to invite my old Transfigurations professor to our wedding, which means we invite her. Got it?"

Harry nodded quickly, knowing too well what would happen should he dare cross the Weasley women temper. Ginny grinned and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Come on, let's go together." They Apparated to just outside the Hogwarts grounds.

After knocking for what seemed to be ten minutes, Filch came hurrying outside. "It's _you_, Potter, is it? Oh, and with _Weasley_?! What have you done this time?" which was about the most friendly greeting Harry and Ginny had had from Filch in their seven years at Hogwarts.

"Do we have to invite _him_?" Harry murmured in Ginny's ear as Filch led them inside. Ginny swallowed and stared at Filch's back.

"Er…let's just ask," Ginny muttered. Harry groaned loudly as she picked up her pace to match Filch's stride.

"Mr. Filch?" Ginny asked, struggling to keep up. He made a noncomittal grunting noise. "Er…Harry and I would just like to know if you would like to come to our wedding," and handed him a creamy piece of parchment with the date and place.

Filch stopped abruptly.

"You…and _Potter's_ wedding?" he croaked after five minutes of staring at the card. Ginny nodded as Harry put his arm around her waist.

"Oh…alright," he snapped. "Might as well, as I have nothing better to do on that day."

Ginny grinned upward at Harry as he suppressed a smile. "Thank you," she said graciously.

Filch started walking again, but Harry could have sworn he swiped an arm across his face as he muttered, "Gotta find some dress robes for Mrs. Norris…"

They stopped in front of the gargoyle that led to the Headmistress' office.

"She'll be in there," Filch muttered gruffly. As Harry and Ginny stood there nervously, unsure of what the password was, Filch snapped, "Well, what are you waiting for? Password's_ Lemon Drop_!"

Harry jumped slightly. "Lemon Drop," he muttered. The gargoyle obliged and they climbed the swirling staircase up. To his surprise, he saw Filch carrying a camera and following them.

"Er…why do you have a camera?" he asked. Filch said nothing, just grinned evilly and snapped at them to move faster.

"Wait, let me go first," Filch commanded and nearly pushed Ginny off the staircase in his hurry.

"Mr. Filch! What do you want?" they heard McGonagall's voice asking sharply.

"I've got some interesting _visitors_ for you, Headmistress," he cackled, and indicated with a sweep of his hand that Harry and Ginny should come into view.

"H-hello, Professor," Harry said, his throat feeling dry. McGonagall looked up and promptly dropped her quill. For a moment, she seemed unable to speak, her eyes widening and her mouth opened slightly in shock.

"P-P-Potter! And Weasley! Oh, come in, come in!" she exclaimed, almost tripping over her own desk. She hurried over and approached Harry, her hands on his shoulders and examined his face. Then she hurried over to Ginny and clamped her hands on Ginny's elbows, staring into her eyes for a long time until Ginny cleared her throat and wrenched her arms away. She sent a glance at Harry and then looked at the bag of cards.

"Oh. Er…well, Professor-"

"Oh, please, it's Minerva now, Potter. You're graduated, after all!" Mcgonagall insisted.

Harry felt extremely uncomfortable calling his former, intimidating professor by her first name, so he said, "No, really, I'd feel much more comfortable calling you professor, if you don't mind."

Ginny snickered. She walked over and grabbed Harry's hand. McGonagally reluctantly nodded and motioned for them to sit next to her desk. Filch was hovering around in the corner, as though awaiting orders from McGonagall to give them a detention.

"What brings you here, to Hogwarts, after so many years _without contact_?" McGonagall asked, pouring them tea, and glaring at them at the last part.

Harry and Ginny glanced guiltily at each other. "Well, we—I—you see…"

She just laughed. "Never mind. What brings you here?"

"Well, I—well, Harry and I, actually, have something to tell you," Ginny saved Harry, for Harry was so surprised that McGonagall could laugh that he was rendered speechless for a couple of seconds.

"Oh?" McGonagall asked, studying them intently.

Ginny brought her and Harry's intertwined hands up in the air almost triumphantly, showing off their engagement rings. "We're getting married, Professor!"

McGonagall stared at the hands, mouth completely dropping open in shock. Harry studied his professor's face intently, realizing with a shock that her eyes seemed to have become watery and had glazed over.

McGonagall dropped one hand and gripped the table. "You..you and Potter are getting…_married_?"

"That's right, Professor," Ginny said, less sure of their plan to personally deliver invitations. "And we'd like to invite you-"

"_Invite_ me?" McGonagall exclaimed, putting a hand over her heart. "Oh, oh my goodness…oh my…"

"Are you alright, Professor?" Harry asked, finally able to find his voice.

"Oh, yes, yes, I'm fine," McGonagall said faintly, fanning her face lightly. "Oh, yes, I would love to go, oh of course I would!" she reached forward and trembling hand and clasped the intertwined hands as a tear rolled down her cheek. She seemed unable to speak for a moment.

Ginny reached into the bag and pulled out another creamy piece of parchment. "This contains the date and time and everything," she announced.

"Oh, thank you for this, Ginny," McGonagall called her by her first name. Harry was utterly bemused. Ginny grinned.

_Women._

"Oh, Potter and Weasley…." McGonagall murmured. "It only seemed like _yesterday_ when you two were at your first day of Hogwarts, being Sorted into Gryffindor…this is such an honor…and _Harry Potter_'s wedding, no doubt…"

Harry and Ginny glanced at each other. "Professor?" McGonagall reached forward a hand, stood up, and clasped Harry on his shoulder.

"It was a pleasure teaching you, Harry. Really. I'm delighted you and Ginny have finally decided to—oh, it's been so obvious for years," McGonagall sniffled.

All of a sudden, tiny Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout came hurrying into the office.

"Minerva, I heard—!" Sprout exclaimed.

"—Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley are getting married!" they cried simultaneously. McGonagall nodded, hastily brushing away any tears,and the three professors started hugging, Flitwick being carried on their shoulders, and crying, it was a whole messy order which Harry would have preferred to avoid all together, as they then proceeded to relive every single embarrassing moment the couple had, whether it was kissing in broom cupboards, kissing after a Quidditch match, Ginny being caught in the boys' dormitory, or right after the battle, when Ginny had stomped over to Harry, slapped him in the face, and then pulled him against her and sobbed into his shirt.

McGonagall all of a sudden walked over to the two and hugged them in a group hug. "You two have gone through so much, you deserve it…"

And wedding invitations were handed out to all three professors, when Filch was found sneaking in the corner.

"Filch! What are you doing here!" McGonagall hastily wiped her face again.

Filch said nothing, just had an evil little smile on his face, a camera hoisted on his shoulder, as all three professors and Harry and Ginny heard a great stampeding crowd below them: "HARRY POTTER IS IN HOGWARTS?!" "I HEARD HE WAS GETTING MARRIED!" "OH MY GOODNESS, LOOK AT MCGONAGALL'S REACTION!"

Filch had projected all that had happened in the office into the Great Hall by a magical camera.

"FILCH, YOU BLITHERING IDIOT!" McGonagall exclaimed, and attempted to chase him outisde the office.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other and beamed.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Ginny asked Harry.

"No, it could've been worse," Harry conceded, then leaned down and kissed Ginny.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to all who viewed the last chapter—please review! I take suggestions, also! And yes, I know I said "one-shot" in the first chapter, but that was a typo. Whups. Oh, and I forgot to include the disclaimer…dear me, I'm getting old!**

**I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING! ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO J.K. ROWLING except for the ones I make up.**

**So this chapter is when Harry and Ginny announce their **engagement**, not wedding, to the Weasley men (George, Fred, Charlie, Bill, Ron, Percy) and Lily and James**.

Ginny was so happy.

Ever since having an unhealthy obsession over Harry Potter, even adulating over him—she'd finally come to realize that he was an ordinary young man with an extraordinary task in front of him.

And moreover, Harry had come to realize that love was truly the most powerful form of magic. He'd learned to love despite all the hardships he and his friends had gone through.

So, one fateful moonlit night, when the sky was clear and all was peaceful, Harry had proposed to Ginny as the breeze ruffled her hair and skirt and the smell of night flowers permeated the air.

Unfortunately, that was how it was _supposed_ to go. In reality, Harry had been so nervous that the question had popped out at a casual dinner at 12 Grimmauld Place because Ginny had seen the box with the ring in it.

Ginny was delighted all the same, but Kreacher would forever hold this embarrassing moment against Harry.

? ? ?

"Harry?" Ginny called, wandering through the house. As there was no response, Ginny called Kreacher.

With a SNAP, Kreacher appeared, bowing low. "Yes, Mistress Weasley?"

"Do you know where Harry is, Kreacher?"

Kreacher smiled a bit. "Master Harry is out doing something secret, Mistress Weasley. Master Harry says not to tell Mistress Weasley. Would Mistress Weasley like something to eat?" Ginny nodded absentmindedly, wondering what in the bloody hell Harry was doing. They were supposed to go over for dinner at the Burrow that night and announce their engagement.

She sat down at the table, pondering for a moment, when suddenly a loud POP sounded in the houses. She immediately stood up, whipping out her wand, and in the flurry knocked over the chair.

She ventured into the hallway, only to hear Harry calling, "Ginny? Kreacher?"

She ran to him and gave him a huge hug. "Miss me?" he laughed.

"A bit," she mused. He hugged her tightly, giving her a passionate kiss until Kreacher appeared and Harry pulled away abruptly, blushing.

"Master Harry?" Kreacher asks, amused. "Would Master Harry like to give Mistress Ginny her surprise now?"

Harry nodded. "Surprise?" squeaked Ginny. "What surprise? What for?" Harry winked and led her down the hallway and upstairs to the attic. He held a finger to his lips and smirked, opening the door with a flourish like he was her chauffeur. She hesitantly peeked in and had to stifle a gasp.

"Oh, Harry…" she had no words to describe how beautiful the scene in front of her was.

Sitting in front of her were moving portraits of Fred Weasley, Tonks, Remus, Colin Creevey, Lily and James Potter, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, and Dobby, surrounded by roses and lilies (duh) and petunias (ironically) and forget-me-nots—mostly forget-me-nots. They were arranged in a little half-circle, all smiling and waving happily at her. The U-shaped table they were sitting on was mahogany and had an emerald green silky tablecloth on it. The portraits' faces were blurred with her sudden tears.

She couldn't help it.

She started sobbing uncontrollably, walking forward on shaky legs to stroke each picture, whispering their names, kissing the frames, but stopped at Fred, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Miss me?" he asked, and Ginny wanted to slap him so badly. "A bit," she muttered, picking up the picture frame.

"Gin, I'm so happy for you and Harry," Fred had said the first serious sentence of his life—no—death. Ginny, whose tears had stopped a second earlier, turned around and buried her face in Harry's Auror robes, gasping and shaking. Harry smiled at Fred but he, too, was crying silently.

Fred watched the two, smiling a genuine smile, not a trickster one or a _you-should-be-afraid-of-what-this-smile-brings _smile, but a genuine one, as he realized how much Harry and Ginny truly loved each other.

Out of the blue, Gideon and Fabian Prewett let out a loud laugh. Ginny wiped her eyes hastily and snapped, "What?"

Gideon pointed at her engagement ring. "I approve—"

"—Of this arrangement!" Fabian finished for him. They looked at each other and laughed heartily, clapping each other on the back, pretending to shake Harry's hand and clapping _him_ on the back. Fred looked at Ginny's ring, too, and whistled. "How much did that cost, Harry?"

Harry flushed. "Nothing. It was in my Gringotts vault. It used to be my mum's." At the mention of her name, Lily turned to look at the ring. "Why, yes, it is!" she agreed. "Look, James, look! That's my engagement ring!"

James scrutinized the ring carefully, then nodded. "You put it to good use, didn't you, m'boy?" James smiled at Harry and Harry suddenly found that he had to conjure a handkerchief to wipe his eyes.

"Mum, dad…" Harry muttered. "I know it's rather obvious, but, meet my fiancé, Ginny…"

Lily grinned. James fell off his chair, guffawing and wiping his eyes. Then Lily started crying hysterically.

Harry, rather afraid, was too stunned to say anything.

Ginny smiled nervously.

Lily sobbed into James' arms, crying, "Oh, our little Harry's grown up!" and "I wish we could be there with him!" at which point Harry cut in, saying, "Mum, Dad, you _are_ with us. In here," and pointed to his heart, as Sirius had and as Dumbledore had taught him.

Ginny, Harry, James, and Lily fell into hysterics, crying, sobbing, hugging, into a completely disorganized mess and made Ginny and Harry an hour late for the dinner at the Burrow.

? ? ?

"What kept you, eh, Ginny?" George grinned wickedly, opening the door. "Was it Harry? Did you be like ickle Ronniekins and High-and-mighty Hermione Highness?"

Ginny glared at him. "Piss off, _Georgia_." George obliged, noticing the red ring around her eyes hastily covered by some concealment spells which usually meant that she and Harry had had a row.

He let her in but blocked Harry's path. "Listen, Potter, you done anything to my baby sister?" he growled. Harry, he was pleased to notice, looked horrified and terrified.

"N-no, George, I didn't!" Harry exclaimed, trying to sidestep him, but George blocked him on the other side.

"Nah-uh-uh, Harry the Hero, you are going to listen to me," George said, advancing on him. Harry looked up, terrified. "Ginny's my baby sister, you hear? You do anything—_anything at all—_to harm her, or hurt her, whether on purpose or not—you will be faced with a mob of very angry Weasleys. Me at the front. Understand?" George poked his wand tip into Harry's robes, making them smoke a bit. Harry nodded like a maniac. "Good!" George smiled a trickster smile, which made Harry's skin crawl a little, and stepped inside.

"Oh, Harry, there you are!" Mrs. Weasley cried, embracing him and kissing him on the cheek. Harry smiled good-naturedly and accepted her affection, relishing in her motherly habits that he had never experienced when he was a child.

"Hey, Mrs. Weasley," he replied bashfully, and greeting the other Weasley men.

"Come, come, everyone, dinner's ready!" Mrs. Weasley cried, ushering them from the living room into the kitchen, and squashed them around the wooden table.

Roast beef, chicken, potatoes, and peas were piled high on the table with some treacle tart sitting not too far away, and Harry was greedily eating his share until Ginny poked him in the elbow, hissing, "When should we tell them?"

Harry remembered suddenly that they were planning to announce their engagement that evening, and experienced a loss of appetite.

"Let's tell them like, right now," he whispered, as the family was nearing that stage when one was comfortably full and drowsy. Something like this ought to catch their attention.

They stood up.

"Er, me and Ginny want to say something," Harry stammered.

The Weasley men and Fleur, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley immediately seemed to perk up.

"Well, what is it, dear?" she asked, with a rather knowing smile, as Harry had asked permission from her parents in advance.

Ginny held up their intertwined hands, showing the engagement rings. They let that sink in a bit, then Harry braced himself for either a huge lecture from Ginny's overprotective brothers or a humongous hug from the family.

It was neither.

There was a moment of silence.

"Ex_cuse_ me?" Ron said loudly. "You're _engaged_?"

"Well, what does it look like, you git?" Hermione hissed into his ear. She then turned to Harry and Ginny, beaming. "I knew it was coming! Congratulations, you two," and hugged them.

Ron snapped out of his reverie and stepped forward, glaring down at Harry, who in turn gulped nervously down at Ginny.

"If you do anything—_anything at all—_to hurt Ginny, intentionally or not, you will have me to deal with," he growled.

"And me," said Charlie, staring at them skeptically.

"And me," George added, though his eyes were twinkling madly and looked like he was trying to suppress a joke.

"And me," Percy piped up. "Although, if I do say so myself, I think it is a rather nice match, don't you think so, Mother?"

Mrs. Weasley beamed. "Of course it is! Your father and I already knew, didn't we, Arthur?"

Arthur nodded, wiping tears from his eyes, his arm around Mrs. Weasley. "Harry, and I say this honestly, no matter what kind of threats you get from them, we could have hoped for no better wizard for Ginny, _right, boys?"_

Bill nodded in agreement. "Yeah, mate, you're pretty much family _legally_, but we all knew Ginny was obsessed with you ever since she met you."

Ginny turned scarlet. "At least I'm not infatuated with dragons or with working with goblins!"

Bill shrugged, flushing good-naturedly.

Fleur moved toward them, smiling, "I am so 'appy for you, 'Arry! You an' Ginny are so pehr-fect for each uzzer!"

Harry grinned and kissed Ginny. "I know," he murmured back, and the Weasley's "aw"ed, even her brothers.

"But really, Ron," Harry looked up seriously. "And George, and Percy, and Bill, and Charlie, and Mrs. Weasley, and Mr. Weasley, and Fleur and Hermione…do you really all approve of this?"

The kitchen room erupted in a cacophony of laughter. "Of course we do, mate!" Ron roared. "I was only joking!"

"I wasn't," George wiggled his eyebrows at Harry.

"Like I said before, Harry, you are honestly the best wizard we could hope for to have Ginny," Bill laughed, wiping his eyes. "We are very happy for you."

Mrs. Weasley came over and squeezed their innards out in a hug. "Oh, Harry, darling, we're so glad that you finally proposed! We've been waiting!"

"Well, Harry didn't really propose," Ginny began, over the noise.

It was suddenly very silent.

It was Harry's turn to flush scarlet.

"He kind of blurted the question out during dinner," Ginny smirked wickedly, and Harry flushed beet red as the Weasley men clapped him on the shoulder, laughing, particularly when Ron said, "Wow, Harry, so romantic!"

"Well, Ron, you weren't much better, were you?" Hermione smirked. "Remember when he tripped in his haste to get down on his knee?"

The kitchen erupted in laughter again.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you to my readers who followed my story! I really appreciate it. However I would **_**really**_** love it if you guys reviewed (hint-hint-nudge-nudge) so I can keep this story going. Anyway, in this chapter, Harry and Ginny announce their wedding to a portrait of Snape and a portrait of Dumbledore. Let's just say it was the same day as they announced it to Professor McGonagall and the others.**

***wink* Ought to be interesting, right?**

NARRATOR'S POV

It was with great regret that Harry pulled a weeping McGonagall out of her office so that he could speak with the former Headmasters privately. Ginny was snickering the whole time, as McGonagall was blubbering, "Oh, P-Potter, you've no idea, I'm s-so h-happy for b-both of you!" and blowing her nose into a conjured handkerchief. Filch, naturally, was showing the video to anyone who would look (or listen) and threatened to project it in the Great Hall during breakfast the next day if McGonagall wouldn't pull herself together.

Really, Harry was rather glad that McGonagall was done leaving tear stains on his shirt (he was taller than her now. Yay.).

The portraits of Dumbledore and Snape had been sleeping when Harry and Ginny invited McGonagall to their wedding, and now were watching with great interest as Harry magically dried his clothes. Ginny hissed in his ear, "Want to invite Dumbledore and Snape?"

Harry stared at Ginny incredulously. Surely she was still sane? "Ginny, they're dead." Ginny rolled her eyes at this and gestured to the portraits. "We can put them on the chairs or something!"

Harry stared at the portraits, who stared back at him. Dumbledore was smiling in greeting, and Snape was sneering at him. Truth be told, he didn't quite want Snape at his wedding in all his greasiness and unpleasantness. Moreover, Snape didn't know that Harry revealed to a number of people the relationship between him and Lily. What if Snape tried to strangle him through the painting? On the other hand, Harry felt as though Snape should see that his work had paid off. All that time playing double agent was not spent in vain, for Harry, Lily Evans' son, now lived happily ever after. Surely that would be worthwhile enough for even Snape!

Dumbledore was a different story. Of _course_ Harry wanted Dumbledore at his wedding; how could he not? After all those years of that repeated mantra "Love, Harry!" surely Dumbledore would want to see who Harry had dedicated all of his love to?

Harry gulped. "I'll do Dumbledore, and you can do Snape," he whispered to Ginny.

Ginny gaped at him. "Are you kidding? Snape _hates_ me! He hates the Weasleys!"

"Then why are we inviting him to our wedding, Ginny?"

"Because you _agreed_ to."

"It was _your_ idea, darling Ginerva."

"Only because I thought you might like to!"

And so the argument went on for a little bit, until Snape yawned pointedly and Phineas Nigellus' snores were getting a little bit overbearing. Ginny was now about to let her famous Weasley temper get the better of her, so Harry hurriedly agreed to ask both Dumbledore _and_ Snape. Ginny huffed and crossed her arms.

Harry decided to get the latter over with first, so took a deep breath and approached Snape's portrait.

"P-Professor Snape?" Snape lazily waved his hand.

"Er…w-would you like to come to…to come to…er…" Harry muttered.

"Ah, look at this, would you, Albus, Potter has cold feet. Will he be a coward without his wand, like his _dear, poor _father?" Snape snickered.

Harry was determined to get the question over with and go and determinedly kept his retorts inside, though his face colored a bit. "Professor Snape, wouldyouliketocometoourwedding?" he asked in one, fluent breath.

"_Sorry_, Potter?" Snape leered.

"Would-you-like-to-come-to-our-wedding!" Harry enunciated.

Snape stopped and even his sneering face slackened a bit. He raised a shaking hand, pointing first to Harry, then to Ginny. "You…and Weasley?"

"_Yes_, Ginny and I," Harry replied wearily. "W-would you like to come?" he hesitated, then added, "My…my mum's going to be there."

Snape's eyes widened a bit. "L-Lily?" he croaked.

Harry suppressed a smile. "My mum _and _my dad."

Snape's eyes clouded a little. "Lily Evans' son is getting married…should I go?" he muttered. Behind them, Dumbledore let out a hearty laugh. "Oh, Severus, is this really worth debating over? Just go!"

Snape sighed loudly, fingering his wand. "I'll go, Potter."

Harry could not help it; he grinned. "Thank you, Professor." Ginny reached into the bag and held up the wedding invitation so that Snape could read it, and said, "We'll get you a new portrait, Professor, and we'll put you on a chair next to Harry's mum. How's that?"

Snape scrutinized Ginny. "Very well, blood traitor." Ginny stiffened but did not say anything.

They both then turned to Dumbledore.

The moment Harry and Dumbledore made eye contact, a dam broke loose. Tears started gathering at the corners of Harry's eyes and slipped out, unbidden, as Harry choked out the invitation.

"P-Professor Dumbledore, I w-would like to invite y-you to our w-wedding," he mumbled as he held up both he and Ginny's intertwined hands. Dumbledore had a handkerchief at the ready and dabbed at his own eyes and blew his nose. "I would be honored to," he replied with a serene smile on his face. "Oh, and Harry? Don't be ashamed of crying. It's natural to."

Harry nodded and hastily swiped an arm across his face as Ginny clutched his hand and held up an invitation. "You'll be next to Harry's dad, Professor," she informed him.

Portrait Fawkes let out a loud squawk, startling Phineas Nigellus and waking him up from his slumber. As Phineas started complaining loudly, Fawkes started to sing, and both Harry and Ginny leaned on each other, Ginny's head resting on Harry's shoulder, Harry's arm around Ginny's waist, just relishing the time they had with each other (without caring what gagging noises Snape was making in the portrait behind them).


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm back! We're having a brief break from school so I thought this would be a great time (finally) to update my fanfics. If you haven't read my other fanfics yet, take a look! I would love reviews—PRETTY PLEASE—they make my day. Enjoy this chapter and HAPPY 2016!**

**I don't own anything!**

The sun was shining; the air was pleasantly warm; the buzz of gnomes and the chirps of birds were in the air; all the while, Harry and Ginny were resting just behind the Burrow when a sudden thought came upon both of them—their imminent wedding.

"Gin?" Harry mumbled suddenly. Ginny shifted slightly to look up at him—she was sitting in his lap, leaning against the trunk of a tree.

"You know who we haven't invited to our wedding?" Harry continued.

"Who?" she asked, curiously. They had both checked over the list multiple times just to make sure they hadn't forgotten anyone.

"The Dursleys," Harry muttered, sounding like he regretted it at once.

Ginny immediately fell out of his lap. "Ex_cuse_ me?"

"The Dursleys," Harry repeated, flushing. "You know—the Muggles I used to live with—"

"I bloody well know the Muggles you used to live with! Harry, why would you want to invite them? They're horrid, I've met them once, and I don't see how you lived with that for seventeen years! You said so yourself, Harry, you hate them—" Ginny burst out.

"They _were_ horrid, Gin. But they're still…family," Harry said so quietly he might as well have not said it at all.

Ginny immediately shut her mouth and turned around. "So my family wasn't enough for you?"

Harry stood so that he looked down at Ginny. "No, that's not what I meant at all! Your family was the only thing that kept me from becoming bitter like Voldemort….no, no, your family was more than enough. I—how could you even think that?" He was shocked into speechlessness and his attempt to speak was more than pathetic. He was babbling and blubbering, a bad habit of his when he was flustered.

Ginny's eyebrows drew together and her hands fell on her hips in a freakish impression of Mrs. Weasley. "Fine. I won't get touchy about that. But why the _Dursleys_?"

"Okay, maybe not the whole family. Vernon would be downright unpleasant. Petunia would be complaining the whole time. Maybe…Dudley?" Harry suggested, as he forced himself to imagine the wedding with Vernon scowling and cursing and Petunia critically examining the flowers.

"_Dudley_?!" Ginny exclaimed. "Have you been hit with a Bludger? I don't know, maybe hit in the head?!"

"I believe he's changed. Or tried to, at least. When they left Privet Drive, he had prepared a cup of tea and set it outside my bedroom door. And he even told me he didn't think I was a waste of space," Harry's mouth quirked up, remembering how hard Dudley had to try to force the words past his mouth.

"Wow," Ginny said in mock surprise. "What a leap."

"It is," Harry insisted earnestly. "That's like 'I love you' from him. He's never even said that to his parents. And he even shook my hand."

Ginny stared intently at Harry, realizing that, like the Weasleys, he was not going to back down once he had an idea in his mind.

She also wanted to give him something he never had—family. Whether blood-related or not, it was the one thing he wanted in life.

"Oh, alright," conceded Ginny, sighing loudly. "Just Dudley, though. And he can decide whether his parents come or not, not you. Got it?"

Harry let an uncertain grin come to his face. "Okay. I'll send a request through Muggle post and then we can see him in person and invite him."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa—we're seeing him in _person_?"

"Well, yeah…I mean, we've invited everyone _else_ in person. And his parents don't have to be there."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yes, _Harry dear_, whatever you want."

(DUDLEY'S POV)

Dudley looked out the window of his flat and sighed. After his father had become dreadfully ill due to obesity, he'd taken on his father's position in the drilling company. And since he himself was no brighter than a dim light bulb, Dudley had taken to taking his father's letters and giving them to his mother to read and answer them. It was a bit tiring, being the mailman after the mailman delivered the letters.

In fact, he went to the post office so often, _every single_ mailman recognized him. Today, he expected it to be no different. He plastered on a smile, strode through the double glass doors, and politely asked the mailman would he please give him his mail?

The mailman chuckled. "You look a bit run-down, Mr. Dursley."

"Dudley," Dudley immediately replied. He hated being called something he solely associated with his father.

"Well, _Dudley_, I'm sure we have something that'll make you feel a bit better. You've got a letter that's not about business! At least, we don't think so. Our screenings show that it's a fancy schmancy…something!" the mailman grinned brightly.

"Oh?" Dudley asked half-heartedly, pretending to be interested.

The mailman huffed. "You make my job harder than it is, kid. You wanna complain, go to customer services. Here's your mail," he said and stuffed it in Dudley's waiting hands. Even though Dudley tried to act as though he had no interest whatsoever, he couldn't help feeling a little curious. He rubbed his hands around the package, surprised to feel a soft, lacy material through the plastic.

"It _is_ a fancy schmancy something," he muttered, loud enough for the mailman to hear.

"Oh, and here's the rest of your mail," the mailman chuckled, grabbing a box and shoving it toward Dudley's face.

Dudley let out a loud groan and trudged back to his office.

_You are cordially invited to the wedding of_

_Harry Potter_

_And_

_Ginny Weasley_

Dudley's eyes roamed no further from those four lines of the "fancy schmancy" letter before he spat out his coffee, startling a few of "his" colleagues.

"Well, well, well, Potter, you've got yourself a girl!" he chuckled. Reading further down, he realized that it wasn't really an invitation—Harry was simply asking him to ask his parents if they wanted to come—if even one person from their family was coming, Harry would then meet him in person at the Leaky Cauldron and give him a more formal invitation there—no magic involved.

Dudley found that he didn't quite mind if there was a bit of magic involved, as long as it didn't involve him sprouting a piggy tail.

That thing still gave Dudley nightmares.

_Anyway_—Dudley found a fresh sheet of paper and, grasping a pen in his beefy hand, wrote out a reply, concentrating so hard that his eyebrows could have touched together and his tongue almost reached his ear.

_Harry,_

_I will meet you at the Leaky Cauldron._

_ Dudley_

A simple message. Harry wouldn't need any other confirmation to know that Vernon and Petunia weren't the least bit interested.

At precisely 15:00, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley entered into the Leaky Cauldron, both wearing Muggle clothes and floppy-brimmed hats to disguise their identity. No need for extra paparazzi.

Dudley Dursley was no easier to spot in a crowd of wizards than a pink flamingo was in a field of crows. He stood out like a beacon—a meaty, muscular, glowing-from-sweat beacon, and Harry and Ginny hurried over to him right away.

Dudley, meanwhile, did not recognize Harry so easily. After the war, he'd seen him for maybe a second, when they returned to 4 Privet Drive.

Post-Dursley Harry Potter was much more well-fed, more developed, and had a healthier look overall about him. He had muscles from Auror training and from former Quidditch practices, and he was in the company of those he loved daily. So when Dudley saw _the_ Harry Potter, with his new sturdy glasses, his striking green eyes covered by that floppy hat, and the jeans and flannel shirt, his jaw dropped.

Before he could shout Harry's name, however, Harry had his finger over his mouth. "My name is Barty!" he hissed.

"No it's not, it's Harry," Dudley retorted, bemused. His gaze turned to the redhead clinging to his arm. "Why, Harry, is this Ginny?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Come on, Gin, Dudley, let's go somewhere a bit more private, alright?" and he told Dudley to grab his arm and whatever he did, _do not let go_ and Apparated to an ordinary Muggle café.

Harry immediately Conjured a cauldron, as he knew Dudley would most likely vomit from his first Apparition experience—nearly everyone did.

Surprisingly, Dudley held his own, and only looked slightly green. "What's this pot for?" he mumbled, trying very hard not to throw up.

"It's a cauldron, Dudley, and, er, it's in case you need it. You know…_blegh_," Harry mimed vomiting into the cauldron.

Dudley turned greener and nodded, accepting the cauldron. "Right. Er…thanks."

After the cauldron business was sorted out, they settled in a booth, and Dudley ordered three Muggle coffees for everyone—"my treat," he insisted—and then an awkward silence descended over the three of them.

Dudley couldn't stop staring at Harry, and Harry knew very well he was being stared at and tried his best to ignore it. Ginny couldn't stop staring at Dudley—the cousin who had tormented Harry for so long—and the Muggle waitress quickly left the three coffees with them, sensing the tension.

"Well!" Harry said, way too brightly. "Dudley, this is my fiancé, Ginny Weasley," he announced, as if it weren't already obvious.

Dudley finally turned his attention to Ginny, taking in the ferociously bright red hair, the light smattering of freckles, the warm brown eyes—to him, she was just a regular woman—but to Harry, understandably, she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Pleasure," he finally said, extending an arm over the table, and she gripped it in return, surreptitiously wiping her hand on her pants afterward.

"Ginny, Dudley," Harry motioned to Dudley, and Ginny took in his beefiness—more muscle, now, after all that wrestling—his blond hair on top of his rather pink face, and wondered how Dudley ever found it tolerable to bully such a skinny kid like Harry used to be.

"The pleasure is mine," she replied coolly, trying her best to smile—for Harry's sake.

Another awkward silence descended, and Dudley tried desperately to break it. "So—so what have you been up to, Harry, and Ginny? I understand there was a war…?"

Wrong question to ask. Both Harry and Ginny turned pale and Ginny noticeable inched closer to Harry as he wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her even nearer.

"I—I understand if you don't want to talk about it," Dudley corrected quickly, looking down at the swirling coffee—now that he saw it, it was swirling by itself, and only then did he see the tip of Harry's wand poking out from under his jacket.

"It's fine," Harry muttered. "Well—I won't go into detail—(Ginny snorted)—but the important thing is, Voldemort—the bad guy—he's gone, and now all we're doing is mainly sorting the Death Eaters, rounding them up, and putting them on trial. The Wizarding World is recovering, we're putting people back in their proper places, and we—we're also holding lots of funerals." Ginny inhaled sharply, and Harry's voice trembled a little as he said this, and Dudley, entirely on impulse, reached across and grasped one of Harry's hands and one of Ginny's hands.

Harry was so startled, the coffees stopped stirring and Ginny's face went slack with shock.

"I'm sorry," Dudley murmured, as a bright red flush swept over his already pink face.

"Enough about us," Ginny said, almost snappishly. "What about you, Dudley? What've you been up to?"

"My dad (A vein in Harry's neck suddenly started to pulse)—he's had a bit of a problem with obesity lately, so he's been at home and I'm kind of the middle man between his clients and himself, because he's so loaded he can't even move—and I swear I warned him not to be like me—and he won't get up his fat arse and it's so annoying sometimes and I—" Dudley stopped at the astonished looks on their faces. Harry, initially, had had to suppress a snort of laughter—"a bit of a problem with obesity"?—but managed to control himself, thanks to Ginny and her lightning quick foot that had stepped on his pinky toe.

"I see," Harry replied, still shaking with silent laughter. "Well, let's get down to business—the wedding—we'll arrange transportation for you, someone will come to get you—"

"No piggy tails?" Dudley interrupted.

"What?" Harry asked, then upon realizing, burst into laughter. "Oh—no, no piggy tails, I promise…but you'll probably be traveling by Floo or Portkey or something, wouldn't want you to be queasy before the big wedding feast…and upon arrival, you'll be directed into your seat."

"Fair warning," Ginny added on, "I have si—five brothers, and they might give you a hard time. Since it's a magical wedding, you can wear Muggle clothes if you really want—("Muggles are non-magic people, Dudley," Harry explained)—but we'll send you a set of wizard's dress robes if you prefer. And _since_ it is a magical wedding, there'll be lots of things you haven't seen before. Don't try to take it in all at once. Mr. Potter here did that once, and look what happened to him," Ginny finished teasingly, and Harry stuck his tongue out at her and she swatted him—like an old married couple, Dudley mused.

"Oh, and there'll be quite a few empty seats with pictures. Please don't sit on them—they—they hold special meaning for us," Harry added on quietly.

"I understand," Dudley replied. "My parents—they, er, send you their wishes."

Harry snorted so loudly an old woman from across the café raised her fist at him. "Thank you for telling me. Tell them—tell them the war is over for me, alright, cousin?"

They nodded and wrapped up the meeting, left Dudley to sit there in the café and ponder about what exactly his relationship with Harry would be like from now on, while Ginny stuck close to Harry as they pulled on their floppy hats.

"Harry, we don't know what size he is," Ginny suddenly realized as they strolled around Muggle London.

"It's alright," Harry shrugged noncommittally. "Just send him a little smaller than what Hagrid would wear."

Ginny swatted at him and scolded him, but a smile couldn't help making its way on her face. "Harry! Your cousin is not that big!"

And somehow, the next day in _The Daily Prophet_, there was a moving picture of Ginny chasing after Harry, waving her wand teasingly, with the caption, _"Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, unable to defend himself against his Chosen One, Ginerva Weasley."_


End file.
